Today we’d like to introduce you to Cherie Reed.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cherie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
This idea of opening a Vegan something started more than ten years ago. So many thoughts, conversations, and handwritten notes on ideas created with my daughters over the years. About five years ago, I settled on the concept of a central location for vegan provisions, more talk, more notes. more ideas. No action. I had a well-paying technology job with great benefits that I honestly loved. However, in the last few years, I found my passion and drive in tech had slowed (maybe me, maybe the companies I chose to work with, most likely a combination). So I chose to leave my most recent job in January of this year.
Now what? I knew that I no longer wanted to work for a machine or standard business operation because of politics, red tape, and being paralyzed with the inability to get things done. Then, the stars aligned. I had a long time business partner and colleague reach out about a program she was offering: Career Leap – Your Power to Reinvent Your Career in 60 days #CareerLeap. A program and network dedicated to help professionals who feel stuck in their career or feel like they want to achieve more realize their strength, find the career they want for themselves and gain the courage and tools to chase it. I signed up: https://www.ilanagolan.com/careerleap.
About halfway through, it became crystal clear that my heart and passion was in doing something in the Vegan world. Within a month, I was fully committed to starting this business, Mashup Market. Since February 2020, I have navigated Federal, State, County, and City government to get this thing going. Not to mention identifying the best vegan foods, distributors, designing space, figuring out social media (well, the basics), taxes, spend and order of appearance for progress! I feel very accomplished right now, even though we are not yet open (but so very close).
I have not done this completely alone. My list of cheerleaders includes my mother, friends and two fabulous daughters, along with their significant others that provide input, advice, and taste testing. My friend and family panel included: vegan, vegan-friendly, vegetarian, hardcore carnivores, gluten-free, and lactose intolerant diets.
In my past life in technology, I have worked on many start-up businesses, started a business/product-service at a large tech company– all successful and I enjoyed them all – but this has been the most rewarding, challenging and exciting venture I have yet experienced!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
COVID. Learning a new business. Being a single person start-up.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mashup Market – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I created Mashup Market based on my love of quality vegan food and passion for local business and unique, quality products. The goal is to be a platform and location for local, Texas and US-based small business vegan products. This results in the ability for the community to not only access unique products that they may not otherwise be aware of, but to have convenient access to them and the ability to support multiple small businesses by shopping with one, The current count of SMB vendors represented in the store is >30.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Growth, Growth, Growth. In all areas of the market – vendors, product selection and market uptake.
Contact Info:
- Address: 316 E Oak St #101
Denton, TX 76201 - Website: mashupmarketandgrocery.com
- Phone: 9402229553
- Email: mashupmarketandgocery@gmail.com
- Instagram: mashupmarket
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